Degrading plastics contribute to ocean acidification
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We all know how serious plastic pollution has become in seas and oceans. Various plastic materials endanger many marine species, which are strangled by getting entangled in them or drowned by ingesting them, as is the case with many species of fish, dolphins, turtles and birds. But now, a new study has revealed another consequence of this type of pollution, revealing that the degradation of plastics contributes to the acidification of seawater.
Plastic pollution in the ocean contributes to its acidification. Source: pixahive.com
The news of this study, which has been led by the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) of Barcelona, was released on the institute's website and was previously published in the journal Science of the Total Environment . And according to the conclusions of the study, the degradation of plastic waste, by the effect of sunlight, produces dissolved organic carbon compounds and CO2, which contributes to the acidification of seawater.
The fact is that sea and ocean water have a regulating effect and act as carbon sinks, but before the industrial era, the levels of carbon assimilated by the oceans were in balance with the level produced on land; however, as the burning of fossil fuels accelerated, the amount of atmospheric carbon dioxide increased, which resulted in an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the oceans.
This has a negative impact on seawater, since carbon dioxide generates reactions that alter its physical and chemical characteristics through a process called acidification, that is, a process that increases its acidity. This puts at risk marine species that create shells based on calcium carbonate, such as corals, clams and crustaceans, since the increased acidity of the water weakens their shells, having to renew them more frequently. And if the increase in acidity continues, the same water they inhabit could dissolve their shells and skeletons.
Ocean acidification puts corals and shell-building species at risk. Source: pxhere.com.
Now, this study reveals that plastic leaching contributes to the chemical alteration of seawater, showing from laboratory experiments that plastic degradation also induces a decrease in seawater pH, probably due to the release of organic acids and the production of carbon dioxide.
When plastics that pollute the oceans spend time exposed to sunlight and erosion, degradation occurs, and the older the plastic is as a result of these conditions, the greater the release of chemical compounds into the water.
These chemicals released by the plastic can come from the plastic components themselves as well as from additives that are added to give it color or improve its appearance, and many of these compounds are organic acids, which explains why they influence the decrease in the pH of the water.
According to the conclusions of this study, it is estimated that in coastal areas where plastic pollution is higher, the leaching of chemical compounds by the degradation of these materials could induce a pH decrease of up to 0.5 units
In coastal areas, where there is more pollution, the decrease in pH of the water would be greater. Source: rawpixel.com.
If this trend persists, it could lead to the collapse of marine species that build shells and skeletons of calcium carbonate, as they could hardly adapt to a rapid change in the concentration of carbonate in the water and acidity, having great consequences on various ecosystems and different food chains, not to mention the losses that this represents for fisheries and tourism that depend on coral reefs.
This study is undoubtedly a wake-up call for increased efforts to prevent further pollution of our oceans with more plastic, and to promote more efficient policies to achieve stabilization of carbon dioxide levels in the air.
Well friends, I hope you liked the information and let's help to stop polluting our seas. Thanks for reading!
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